Wiksten Tova all finished and so am I!

Ahhh, Wiksten Tova pattern...how I have coveted you for so many years (like, two whole years) and finally, on this, the last day of Selfish Sewing Week you are done...you are mine! You took longer to sew than all of my other projects combined and I didn't think we were going to make it when on the second to last step, I realized I'd sewn the left arm on upside down (yes, yes, I did), but we got there in the end. You're a little drapier around the neck than I'd expected, but this is Dunedin and I'll be wearing a merino underneath for most of the year so I'm sure it'll all work out. I love how comfy you are and that you cover all of my lumps and bumps very nicely without making me look like a house. Perhaps you will be lonely being the only Tova in my closet. I think I will make another one to keep you company...but first I'm going to take a little break from sewing...OK?

Two Tessuti Tops

If you haven't seen it before, let me introduce you to Our Fave Top by Tessuti Fabrics. The pattern is a free download on their website so you have no excuse not to make this top for yourself right away. Go, do it! After making my first one earlier in the week, I loved it so much I whipped up another one (due to poor planning, in a very similar colour!).

This would be one of those Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants sort of patterns that comes in one size only but somehow manages to fit just about any body type. Bless pattern designers who are able to concoct such brilliance. They say to use a serger, but I sewed it up on a regular machine without problem. I used a stretch twin needle where indicated, but otherwise, just used a regular ballpoint needle and a stretch stitch where they called for a serger. I suppose the raw edges on the inside might bother some people, but I'm fine with them.

I can see already that I'll get a lot of wear out of these tops. I may even have to make myself a third after Selfish Sewing Week wraps up just so I can have one in a different colour!

Big thanks to TDSH who took these photos just moments before we rushed out the door for Abner's birthday party (clever parents that we are, we rented a hall so that we wouldn't have to deal with 10 little girls wrecking havoc in our tiny house). Abner has taken quite an interest in photography lately so we've passed on one of our old cameras to her. She tends to come out and shadow whoever is taking photos around the house, so it's no surprise we had this little audience during the photo shoot. I must say her pictures are getting quite a bit better already!

Sewing up a storm and then some

Behold just some of the patterns and fabric on my list to sew up this coming week during Selfish Sewing Week. Lots of prep work going on around here to try to help me juggle my sewing ambitions with the fact that Abner is on school break and I'm in hand-over mode at work as the editor I've been filling in for is back from maternity leave.

I've had a blast playing editor but it will be nice to hand the reigns back to a professional. It's like every day for the past nine months I've been worried that someone will wise up and figure out that I'm a complete fraud. This must be how con artists feel - constantly worried that they're going to be found out.

This week is also a big one as a certain little girl turns six! Our tradition is to go out for dinner to the restaurant of the birthday person's choosing. Abner has already informed us she's choosing McDonalds. High taste, that girl! We've got a party to plan as well for next weekend. Since our new house is so tiny (there's really no other word to describe it) we've opted to rent a hall nearby. The kids can run amok all they want and I don't have to worry about my couch getting covered in chocolate and broken chips. It's a win-win situation.

Other than that, we're trying to keep busy seeing friends, going to movies and just have a little fun during the second week of term break. Hope you're week ahead looks just as fun-filled as mine!